


Something Not Right

by swim7184



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Archer - Freeform, Cursed Emma Swan, Cursed Storybrooke, David - Freeform, Final Battle, Fluff, Ogres, Savior Emma Swan, Snow White - Freeform, apple tree, regina - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-20
Updated: 2017-08-20
Packaged: 2018-12-17 19:28:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,554
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11858136
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/swim7184/pseuds/swim7184
Summary: Speculation of what Emma was like during the Final Battle curse.





	Something Not Right

There was something not right about this place.

The better part of Emma’s time here was spent as sheriff, son by her side. But now she spent her days in the asylum, fading away. She was lucky, of course, she had a larger room in comparison to the others, and hell knows that she would have died in the isolation of the padded rooms. 

But something was missing. Names of people she’d never met floated around in her head. One particularly prominent one was Killian. No clue why, but it reminded her of rum. Ah, rum. Emma can’t have that anymore. 

Another one that was very strong was Mary-Margaret. She had a roommate by the same name until she passed away- long before Emma’s stay in the hospital. That one was quite obvious why it stuck out.

There were more names, ones that were familiar, ones of people that she knew or had known. Few were as much as a mystery as Killian.

The wakeup call rang through the halls. She could think about her names later. The names in her head were just another reason to be here, in the hospital.

Emma got out of bed and headed to the cafeteria. She got in line as she always did, staring at the walls that reminded her of preschool. A small mural was painted above the floorboard but onto the wall. A seemingly endless ocean was painted, cartoon islands spread few and far between. Looking at the vast oceans, the name Killian came up in her mind’s eye. Whoever this Killian was or is is giving her trouble. Coming back to reality, Emma grumbled to the nurse and grabbed the pills. 

Sitting down at a table, she looked at the mural once more. Something came over her, almost like sleep. 

~~~

“Back in my world, that’s what we call muscle memory.” 

Emma felt him lean closer, letting the scruff of his beard graze her cheek. Arms holding his, she allowed his muscles to relax and then tense again. They were standing on a dock, by an ocean. The ocean looked like the one painted on the asylum walls.

“Tell me more about this reality you want me to return to. Us.” He paused, letting her feel the warmth of his body pressed into hers, “For example, I sense that….we may be close.”

~~~

She blinked twice, that hadn’t felt real- but yet it felt so right. When she returned her head to it’s normal position, she stared at a decently unhappy Dr. Hopper.

“Rough day?” Emma scruffed.

“Yes, Emma. Now it’s time for me to talk things out with you. Figure out what medication you need to be on now. The usual.” He said, without a second thought. 

He seemed like he had something missing in him, too. Emma saw this in everyone here. Since Emma herself had such an overwhelming sense of loss, she could pick it apart, unlike the others. For everyone else, it was just there. A way of life for them, as if they had been living in this feeling forever and could no longer tell if it was true or not. 

“Should I head to your office with you?” Emma asked. Archie seemed to have drifted off into deep thought. 

“Uh yes Emma. Would you want to take a walk there?”

Desperate for fresh, non-purified air, Emma agrees. On the long walk over, they pass the mayor’s house. The apple tree the Emma had only noticed when cut it down was growing strongly now. Emma blinked. This tree seemed like it was from somewhere else. Not from this world. Taking one last stare at the tree, Emma is plunged into a memory.

~~~

Viewing the now viscous citizens of Storybrooke attack Regina from afar was not enough. Emma needed to intervene. While murder may have been on their hands before, it was certainly not going to be now. They are in a different world. Murder is not right here. 

Emma took a running start, shoving through a group of people. “Let her go! Let her go! Let her go!”

Dr Whale snarled. “And why should I listen to you?”

Emma took a more confident stance. “Because I am still the sheriff.”

David comes running up from behind. “Because she saved you.” He paused, the yelled. “ALL of you.”

Mary-Margaret comes up to the porch with David, but holding Henry close, keeping him safe. “No matter what Regina did, there’s no justifying this!” She yelled.

Emma interrupted her family members. “We are not murderers here.” While staring down Whale, she caught the apple tree in the corner of her eye. The apple tree basically started this all. If she hadn’t gone after Regina, none of this would’ve happened. But it was better this way.

“But we are not from this world.” Whale growled.

“Well you are in it now.” Emma countered.

“Okay Whale. You’re done. David said, shoving him.

For Emma, this marked the first time she saw Regina as human. This was important as their relationship would grow to more than enemies. Neither of them knew that they would become the best of friends.

~~~

Archie shakes Emma. “Emma!” He yells. “Emma! Are you okay?”

Emma shivers. “Uh yeah Archie…. I’m fine… just thinking that’s all.”

“Are you sure?”

Emma nods, then they finish their walk. Archie unlocks the door to his office and they climb a flight of stairs, which, unknown to Emma, her son would break his neck on the next day. Holding the railing, Emma shivers again. What was wrong with her?

She sat down on the couch before resting her head on the pillow. While Archie gathers file folders and papers, Emma takes in the all too familiar surroundings. Noticing a painting she had never seen before, Emma takes a hard look at it. It was an archer woman, with long dark brown hair cascading down her back. Unwillingly for the third time today, Emma dove headfirst into a memory.

~~~

A gun blasts. Emma, staring at three scared women, points the weapon at them. 

Snow yells at her daughter. “Emma, what are you doing?!” Her bow was strung over her shoulder. 

“Protecting you. Drop the weapon!” Emma says harshly, while stepping forward, gun still aimed.

“Do you have any idea what you’ve just done?” Snow whisper-yells, trying to hide her already raising voice from the ever present ogres.

Emma turns around. “Ogres?” Emma says, turning once again to face her mother.

“RUN!!!” Snow yells.

Emma hears the rustling of Aurora and Mulan and she runs ahead. Everything's a blur. She hears commands from her mother, which she blindly follows. A branch seems to appear out of nowhere, which she trips on. Emma slowly turns around to see an ogre. She arms herself, but the gun is smacked out of her hand.

“Seriously?” She grunts, nervously.

“BACK AWAY FROM MY DAUGHTER!” Just then, Snow puts the arrow in her bow and aims. She kills the ogre. 

Emma stares at her mom like an idol. She thought Snow was at a level of heroism she would never reach. Little did she know what the future held.

~~~

“Emma! Are you sure you are okay? You keep spacing out.” Dr Hopper seemed genuinely worried this time. 

“Uh- yeah. Great actually.” Actually, she was confused. Very confused. Ogres didn’t exist, right? “But I really have to go.” Emma bolts down the stairs, and makes a run for it. Passing Gold and Son pawn shop, she takes a brief glance in the window, seeing a sword. 

It was once her father’s.

~~~

Climbing the stairs to the apartment, Emma thought about all that could go wrong now. She had made it back home, with all of her memories even, and her own father might not remember her. She knocks on the door to the Blanchard loft. 

Seeing her father answer, she begins to speak, but before she does, she looks at his holster. There was a sword there. That’s a good sign.

“Hi, don’t close the door, my name is…”

“Emma!” He exclaims. 

“David?”

“You remember?” He asked, overjoyed. David then pulled his only daughter into a hug. He was so happy to have her back.

~~~

Emma, who spaced out again, blankly stared into the window at the sword. She had definitely seen it before.

However, her moment of reflection gave Archie enough time to catch up to her. 

“Emma, I’m sorry but now I have to escort you back. We can't finish your session now.” He said, disappointed in her actions. “I haven't seen you act like this since Henry was in this hospital.”

Emma blinked, staring into space. She looks back to him slowly. “Uh yes, of course. I'll be better.” Emma allows herself to be driven back to the hospital. She sits in the car. Where did she go wrong?

She gets a good nights sleep that night, however letting her worries pile on her shoulders while she is unconscious. The next morning was different. It started off the same as all of the others, pills, breakfast, painting. But she had a visitor today. 

When Emma was done being walked to the visitor area, she saw Henry. However something was different with him.

He had a look she hadn't seen in a very long time.

He had the look of a believer.


End file.
